on that stage last night. we begin our coverage with nbc's andrea mitchell. andrea, good evening. >> good evening, brian. the president showed up today armed with attack lines against mitt romney a day late. trying to regain his footing after a rocky debate performance, the president today at an outdoor rally seemed everything he was not last night. >> the man on stage last night, he does not want to be held accountable for the real mitt romney's decisions and what he's been saying for the last year. >> mitt romney was greeted with thunderous applause this morning. at a speech to conservatives. >> last night, i thought was a great opportunity for the american people to see very different visions for the county >> the morning after, even supporters said the president seemed tentative, defensive, frequently looking down at his notes perhaps like some of his predecessors in debate, ford, carter, bush and bush. almost too accustomed to the oval office. not used to being challenged. most surprising, the president did not use some of his most potent attack lines. mitt romney's comments to we wi